Kyrinis Leads the Way; Past Champions Shine in Stroke Play

The cream has risen to the top at the 63rd U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Championship. Past champions filled the first page of the leader board on Monday at The Omni Homestead Resort’s Cascades Course in Hot Springs, Va., setting the stage for an exciting start to match play.

Leading the way was 2017 champion Judith Kyrinis, of Canada, who delivered the only under-par round of the championship thus far with a 2-under-par 70 on Sunday. Coupled with her opening 75, the retired nurse and four-time Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur champion posted a 1-over 145 to earn medalist honors. Kyrinis, who captured her most recent national title (the 2025 Canadian Women’s Mid-Amateur) just last month in a playoff, leaned on her experience to separate herself by one stroke.

"I'm working on learning the golf course better,” said Kyrinis. “I hit a lot of fairways, which is always good around here. I improved on some of the course management from yesterday and the putter finally got hot. I could feel the speed of the greens and could see the lines a little bit better.”

Close behind is one of the most experienced USGA competitors of her generation: Brenda Corrie Kuehn, of Asheville, N.C. Playing in her 62nd USGA championship, Kuehn carded rounds of 74-72 to finish one shot off the pace. A runner-up in this championship in 2023, and a semifinalist last year (losing to eventual champion Nadene Gole), Kuehn once again finds herself in prime position for another deep run. 

“The front nine is more difficult than the back, particularly the first five holes,” said Kuehn, who played those first five holes (her 10th-14th, having started on the inward nine), in 2-over. “The first five holes are survival for me and then after that, it's time to play golf."

Kuehn closed her round in style with back-to-back birdies on the Cascades Course’s 8th and 9th holes and played her opening nine (the inward side) in 1-under par.

Three-time champion Lara Tennant, of Portland, Ore., sits two shots back after steady rounds of 74-74, earning herself the third seed for match play. The duo of 2022 champion Shelly Stouffer and defending champion Gole are tied for fourth alongside Judy Penman of Pinehurst, N.C., further underscoring the dominance of proven winners at the top of the board. USGA champions Kathy Hartwiger (2022 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur) and Martha Leach (2009 U.S. Women’s Mid-Amateur) also finished inside the top ten. Leach is playing in her 82nd USGA championship this week.

What’s Next?

The playoff to determine the final spots in the match-play bracket will begin at 8 a.m. ET on the 15th hole. The Round-of-64 matches are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. Match play continues through Thursday morning’s 18-hole championship match. Admission is free and spectators are encouraged to attend.

Notable

• A 6-for-3 playoff will be held Monday morning. Kim Shek, of Bellvue, Wash., and Tracy Welch, of Winchester, Mass., both birdied their final holes of the day to finish at 17-over par for stroke play and avoid the playoff.  

• Just two of the five Virginians in the field made the cut: Amy Ellertson, of Free Union, and Kristin Shifflet, of Fredericksburg. 

• Other notables to make the cut include seven-time USGA champion Ellen Port, 2023 champion Sarah Gallagher, 2015 champion Karen Garcia, as well as three-time runner-up Sue Wooster. 

• Stefani Markovich, of Canada, and Adele Peterson, of Eden Prairie, Minn., had the biggest turnarounds from day one to day two, each carding a score seven shots better on Sunday to make the cut.  

• Kim Eaton of Mesa, Ariz., has played in every U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur since her debut in 2009 at The Homestead, where she reached the quarterfinals before losing to Robyn Puckett, 4 and 2. Eaton shot rounds of 76-82 to make the cut. 

• All four players in the field who competed in the 1994 U.S. Women’s Amateur at The Homestead made the cut: Ellen Port, Kathy Hartwiger, Tracy Welch and Corey Weworski. 

• Of the seven players who also teed it up in the 2009 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur at The Homestead, three advanced to match play this year: Kim Eaton, Mary Jane Hiestand and Lisa McGill.

Quotable

“It’s wonderful to be back. It’s nice to get to the tee now. Two years ago, it was just ‘Nadene Gole, from Australia,’ and now it’s nice to hear them say ‘Defending champion, winner of the 2024 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur.’ I quite like the ring to that. It’s wonderful to be part of this USGA family.” - Nadene Gole on how it feels to be back as the defending champion

“Oh my gosh it's amazing. The thing that has impressed me the most has been the customer service. The people who work here are just amazing. They are so nice and willing to give you a ride. The food and the hotel are amazing. It's fantastic.” - Brenda Corrie Kuehn on how she’s enjoyed her experience at The Homestead

“The USGA puts on great championships; they have great venues and host clubs. It’s always nice to go to an event where you have a commonality with the women. A lot of them have jobs like I do, where we are working and still competing in golf.” - Martha Leach on playing in her 82nd USGA championship

“It’s always an honor to play in a USGA championship whether you have won one or not. It’s really fun to be out here and play this great golf course as well as challenge myself.” - Tennant on playing in USGA championships

“I have done it before, which is always fun, and it means that your kind of playing well which is great. You just want to take that confidence with you into match play. I was saying to Nadene [Gole] that none of us can win it today. Theres a lot of matches hopefully in front of us. When it comes to match play, it’s a whole different animal.”- Judith Kyrinis on capturing medalist honors